Rockford Police Chief Chet Epperson has named the first Commander of the new Geographic Police Pilot District. Lieutenant Douglas Pann will act as the Commander of the first of three geographic policing districts. He will command District II.

Several northern Illinois cities use some form of geographic policing, which focuses on placing officers into defined districts. From North Aurora to Roselle, different variations of the model are being carried out. In Rockford, city leaders want to follow suit by making big changes to the police department’s structure. But not everyone is on board.